It’s hard sometimes for new bloggers to invest in the blogging tools and resources they need to grow their site. So I’m sharing some tips on how to make an extra $100 a month with online activities that help you save for key blogging investments.
These are all pretty easy money-making activities that you can do in your spare time or with a few hours carved out each month.
I know you want to focus on your blog – I get it! Your dream is to grow your blog into a successful side hustle or full-time business.
But you’ve got to invest to make it a success. Free tools and resources can only take you so far.
Some of the top blogging tools and resources can be expensive.
So, how can you make extra cash to invest in your blog?
I’ll take you through some easy ways to make money online, and other ways to make an extra $100 each month (or in some cases, even more) to cover blogging expenses.
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How To Make An Extra $100 A Month: 7 Top Ways
When you are working full-time or are a busy stay-at-home parent, a time-intensive side hustle may not work out for you. Nor is taking on an extra part-time job.
Although some of these ways to make money that I’m sharing with you here can be a bit challenging, they are worth a minor bit of effort.
These are all jobs you can effectively do at home with some smart work from home tips.
We go from freelance writing to VA work – all realistic online income strategies that will help you make enough to fund a self-hosted WordPress blog and more.
I’ve tried several of these strategies myself (freelance writing and surveys), and know that the other methods here are feasible as well.
Let’s jump right into income solutions!
1. Getting Paid To Blog – Freelance Writing Opportunities
The first way to make extra money each month is one that I think every blogger should consider. After all, you’re producing content for your blog, so you should be able to write for other bloggers too.
We’re not talking guest blogging. Instead, it’s blogging and getting paid for it.
What do you need to get started?
- Examples of previously published work: your own and where you’ve guest blogged.
- Rates: determine what somebody with your experience should charge for freelance writing. This is a good resource with freelance writing rates.
- The market for freelance bloggers in your specialized niche: do your research to see what kind of companies are seeking freelancers in your niche and check out their sites. In most cases, it’s small to mid-sized business owners looking for content creation help.
Where do you find freelance opportunities?
- ProBlogger’s job board – one of the most robust job boards around
- BloggingPro job board – much like Problogger, focused on blogging opportunities
- LinkedIn: use your existing network, follow brands in your niche and follow these hashtags: #hiringwriters, #bloggerswanted and #writeforus. Also, check out the job board.
- X (Twitter): use hashtags (#bloggingjobs, #writerswanted, #freelancewriterjobs #hiringwriters), search (write for us, writers wanted, writing jobs)
- Job boards: SimplyHired, Indeed and other job boards
How much can you earn as a freelance writer? This depends on how many projects and how much writing is required. But you can easily aim for at least $100 to $150 a month.
PRO TIP: Set up a PayPal account and an invoicing system to manage your freelance projects.
2. Make Extra Money As A Pinterest Manager/Assistant
There are bloggers out there who have no clue how to create attractive Pinterest pins. Some don’t have the time to do so themselves, especially as their business grows.
If you are awesome at designing Pinterest pins, copywriting and Pinterest SEO, you can manage pinning for other more established bloggers.
However, if all you’re great at is designing pins fast, then do this as well! Just offer it at a much more affordable price point.
What do you need?
- A personal Pinterest board with attractive pins for your own content.
- Bonus: past work for other bloggers if you have it. See if you can help out a blogger friend, even if it’s for free to generate examples and testimonials
- Information on your blog or a standalone simple business site (for promotion and payment) that addresses your services and rates
You’ll want to set up an invoicing system or use a platform such as Podia or Sendowl to manage your payments. PayPal is a common method of payment.
How much can you earn as a Pinterest Manager/Assistant?
If you have two to four clients and are doing minimal work (for example, designing and scheduling a set amount of pins) you can provide them with a flat rate of $25 to 50/month (depending on how much you’re doing for them) and get that extra $100 easily.
PRO TIP: Check out what other Pinterest managers and assistants are charging for their packages. Based on your abilities and expertise, create a rate card that works best for your services.
| RELATED: How To Start Your Business Account On Pinterest And Start Pinning
Get 10 Free Pinterest templates for Canva to help you get started with Pinterest management/assistant work:
3. Short Task Websites – Online Work
The next on the list of how to make an extra $100 a month is short-task online work.
Sometimes work at marketing and advertising companies, as well as at SaaS companies can be time-consuming and require manual input.
That’s where a pool of extra hands is needed and yours might be perfect for the job.
In most cases, all you need is a PC or a smartphone for the online tasks.
What you end up doing is things such as:
- Data collection
- Taking surveys
- Playing and testing games
- Mystery shopping
- Website user testing
- Voiceovers
- Video editing
- Content generation (writing product descriptions, social media content)
These are small projects that you can take on when you feel like it.
Companies that offer online short task work include:
- Fiverr (research, digital marketing, SEO, website UX tweaks, translation, graphic design)
- Clickworker (surveys, SEO, text creation – perfect for writers – and research)
- Field Agent (US version and Canadian Field Agent)
- Appen (a broad range of opportunities – from translation, reviewing models, AI data collection and much more)
- UserTesting – get paid to test websites and mobile apps
One that’s very lucrative is JustAnswer. If you’re a certified or licensed expert in your field (see the specific list of experts JustAnswer offers to customers), you can provide answers to questions. Experts can earn thousands of dollars per month.
How do you usually get paid with these short work options? Payment is done usually via PayPal and payment varies across each service.
How much can you make with short task work?
It all depends on what you’re doing and how much of it you’re doing. Some of these pay very well, while others are more time-intensive. However, with all of these options, you can make an extra $100.
| RELATED: Top 10 Moneymaking Side Hustles For Working From Home Online
4. Virtual Assistant Work
Virtual assistants do the small stuff that accumulates each month when you’re a business owner.
Somebody has to do it, but it’s cumbersome and time-consuming.
From invoicing and accounting to creating content and managing social media calendars. Virtual assistants do a whole slew of admin and marketing activities.
In some cases, they also manage schedules, pitch and book meetings, media interviews and so much more.
If you’ve had administrative or marketing experience, you can transfer these skills into VA work.
Choose how many clients you want to work with depending on your extra time.
How much can you make as a virtual assistant?
This all depends on how much you’re doing and how many clients you have. Nevertheless, you can create packages priced to generate $100 quite easily.
PRO TIP: Try to be in the same country as the person you’re working with, as you’ll understand their culture, special Holidays and language idiosyncrasies. You’ll avoid making mistakes.
5. Create And Sell Canva Templates And Printables On Etsy
Canva is a goldmine of opportunities for those with a flair for design. But you don’t have to be a graphic designer to produce templates and printables that people need and want.
Using Canva Pro, create anything from planners, social media templates, checklists and so much more.
Think about sometimes obscure but needed things. The best place to look is Etsy itself to see how many sales certain items are doing sale-wise. Create your versions and sell them.
This approach has low overhead and can be extremely lucrative.
| RELATED: How To Create And Sell Moneymaking Digital Products
6. Dropship On Demand + Etsy
Dropship on demand is where a third party such Printify, produces the physical product that you’ve designed when somebody purchases it. They send it to the purchaser on your behalf.
This is a smart way of selling physical products such as t-shirts, mugs, baseball hats, notebooks and more.
You can sell these items on a Shopify store. However, if your budget is tight and you don’t have time for extensive promotion, the less expensive alternative is Etsy.
If you optimize your product entries on Etsy, they’ll be easier to find.
This is a great way to make money by spending a few hours a week designing, setting up your product with a dropship on-demand platform and promoting on Etsy.
7. Conduct Online Surveys
This is one of the easiest, but sometimes most cumbersome ways to make an extra income online.
Surveys are easy to take. However, they can take a bit of time, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. So if you have a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon planned, this is what you could be doing and making some extra cash.
You can take the most popular survey sites include:
- Survey Junkie – take surveys, or scale up to share your digital browsing behaviours and get paid via PayPal or bank transfer, or via e-gift cards (Walmart, Amazon, Visa gift card etc)
- Swagbucks – Take surveys and get paid in cash (PayPal), coupons and gift cards
- Branded Surveys – US, Canada and UK. Once you earn 500 points you get paid out via gift cards or cash (PayPal).
In most cases, you can make $10 fairly easily. Do this over a month, and $100 is very feasible.
Open A Bank Account For Your Blog
One of the smartest things I did with all of the money I saved for blog expenses was to open a specific bank account for it.
Saving money for expenses greatly helped keep credit card debt down, and covered my initial costs for upgrades.
When you get paid from any of your extra income-generating activities place it in this account. And don’t touch it until you’re ready to invest in your blog!
Choose Realistic Ways To Make Extra Money Online
Your full-time job, parenting or any other key commitments will always be a priority. I know it can be hard to balance being a mom balancing work, family and a side hustle.
But if you can carve out a bit of extra time to work on a mini side hustle, you can make at a minimum an extra $100 a month.
All of the ways to make an extra $100 a month that I shared above are realistic and feasible. Some are quicker routes to $100 while some, like the surveys, can be time-consuming.
Whatever way you decide to make that extra $100, know that you’re doing something that will help you achieve your blogging goals.
Here are some other key resources for making money WITH your blog, even as a beginner.
Also, check out these niche blog monetization strategies:
Find out why your blog isn’t making money and how to fix it.
QUESTION: What are some of the realistic ways to make extra money online that you think should be added to this list?
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One thing I’ve done as a side hustle to help pay for my blogs and other sites is become a Community Manager. But of course, I had to prove myself by joining the community first (paid community) and become a very active member who contribute a lot. Then I offered to be a moderator if needed and that led to a paid Manager spot. Aside from that, as a blogger, I love writing and why not get paid to write? Freelance writing has done me well over the years. Great article with some good tips I’ll have to try!
Shawn, all great tips! And your story shows that if you want to make money, it’s all doable. I wanted to give completely new bloggers who are just tiptoeing into blogging some ideas on how to fund their journey to making it a successful online business. Sometimes they need a nudge!